


Eating Crow Means to Surrender, but What if You Drink Them?

by Axel_Knochenmus



Series: The Aftermath of Murder [1]
Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Alcohol, Gen, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-08
Updated: 2013-11-08
Packaged: 2017-12-30 22:33:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1024176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Axel_Knochenmus/pseuds/Axel_Knochenmus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shinichi glared at the line of bottles in front of him for a long moment, his body language screaming defiance. The look was similar to the anger that flashed across his face when he encountered another murder, the hatred he clearly had for the act of stealing life. After some time though, he was visibly deflated. KID hadn't seen when it happened, it had crept in so slowly and escaped his notice, but when the detective reached for the first bottle in the row, it was clearly a defeat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eating Crow Means to Surrender, but What if You Drink Them?

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently when I'm stressed and can't do much about it, I fanfic. Or at least I do now.  
> Set pre-relationship.

Kudou Shinichi was new competition, but, in a way, he was old at the same time.

He'd come to a KID heist before once, in a helicopter, but not long after that the teenaged detective had disappeared. His sudden reemergence coincided with the takedown of an international crime organization. Kaito doubted it was just a coincidence. More importantly though, was that he showed up at his next showdown with Jirokichi, and took the heist by storm. He kept up with Kaito each step, was ahead in some places - even if Kaito improvised his own way ahead of those. He was even just a tad bit more difficult than his favorite annoying brat Tantei-kun had been, though personally Kaito actually preferred the child, even as much of a little shit as the kid had been before being carted back to America by his parents - and wasn't that such a disappointment. Shinichi didn't seem like he would be a one-time challenger this time around either, nor leaving anytime soon considering Suzuki Sonoko's triumphant declarations that she would start bringing him to every heist so he could catch KID for her.

Naturally, this meant Kaito had to do some reconnaissance on his foe.

It wasn't hard to find information about him, the media ate him up almost as much as they did KID, and he seemed to do the same with the attention - or used to. Kudou Shinichi dropped off the radar for a full two years. There had been speculation of his death only abated by the fact that his parents hadn't had him declared so. Even then, some said it was negligence on their part, abandoning their son on selfish whims and not even having the decency to pay attention enough to make sure he didn't get killed. Others said they were in denial. A lot of rumors were thrown around and only stopped when he returned.

Well, stopped wasn't exactly the right word. Rumors about his death stopped, but none of the other theories did. Dozens of stories about top secret operations and undercover work. It's all very much like James Bond and conspiracy theories. Kudou himself did nothing to confirm or deny anything, and that just gave them more steam to go on.

There were several videos of the detective in action online, shaky and desperately hidden phones capturing him laying out his deductive reasoning. A couple were actually done on better cameras, in front of actual crews. There wasn't much to be learned from them though, other than the teen's flare for theatrics, so Kaito decided he needed to see it in person.

Following Kudou was hard, he seemed to have some heightened sense to know when he was being watched, forcing Kaito to only use his doves when possible and making him extra careful to not watch the other teen directly for too long when he had to go in himself. He had to put in more time into watching Shinichi than he ever had with Hakuba. The blond had come forward and directly approached his objectives, stating them bluntly, whereas Shinichi held back most of his goals and intent until right before he went in for the kill.

Except- except it was different from how he had been at the heist. Even if it had only been one so far, KID could clearly tell the difference, even if he couldn’t quite explain them. It could easily have been chocked up to the different environment between the KID heist and one of Kudou's murder scenes, but aside from the clock tower heist, Shinichi shouldn't have known enough about KID to fall in to such ease. Even others who knew of his reputation to not harm people didn't tend to - hell, even his own taskforce only acted like that when someone more dangerous was involved. It was almost like he held some sort of Trust for the thief, which was ridiculous for how new an opponent he was.

Something he didn't know was something that would come back to bite him in the ass later, Kaito was sure. That was why he continued to drop by to follow the detective. If said detective had a bit of a routine as long as no cases interrupted him, and Kaito happened to learn it and beat him to most places (with a different disguise handy each time!) then, well, it was all just part of gathering Intel. Some lesser men might call it stalking, but Kaitou KID was much, much classier than that.

There were, of course, times where the detective was called off on business, and his friend Mouri Ran would show up along their usual routines with Suzuki Sonoko or those kids Tantei-kun used to hang out with in tow. Typically those days Kaito would hang around long enough to confirm his absence and just head home for the day instead, because he did have a life outside of being KID and keeping an eye on his opponents. To be honest, those days were a little worryingly frequent. Kaito didn't like to think of what that implied for Tokyo's murder statistics, it was better for his sanity not to.

"There's this really great boutique I heard opened up here recently, wanna check it out since that nosey detective and the brats aren't with us today, Ran?" Kaito's attention snapped to focus on the two girls arriving at his current stakeout location, finding Kudou not with them. He let himself relax a bit, knowing that more likely than not if the detective didn't arrive with them then it'd be hours before he would, if he did at all. Unlike certain other "My pocket watch only loses .001 seconds per year" detectives, the Heisei Holmes wasn't much for punctuality when a case was involved.

"Ran!" Sonoko snapped exasperatedly, standing in front of her friend and finally dragging the brunette's attention from where the she had been staring worriedly into space. "Geez, he's not your husband anymore, you don't need to worry so much about that detective geek."

"It's never been like that, Sonoko!" The girl returns, sounding like it's a well-worn argument. "Don't you think it's weird though? Shinichi never stays home when he's sick, not unless you forcibly hold him down to make sure he does! If it's a case he could just tell us..."

Her friend frowned, looking a bit annoyed as she sighed. "I suppose that's true." A sly grin spread across her face. "Maybe he's got a girlfriend coming over."

"Ehh!? But, why wouldn't he tell me that!? It's not like it would bother me... We're just friends now." If anything, the whole idea made the Mouri girl look even more troubled.

"It's like I keep saying, boys are sensitive around their first loves. I know you aren't like that anymore, but he's probably not ready to tell you just yet, right? I'll bet he wants to wait until he's sure before he'll say anything. You know how dense that idiot can be. In the meanwhile, cheer up and we can go shopping!" The lighter haired girl beamed encouragingly at her friend, smug at the certainty of perfection in her logic.

"You really think so, Sonoko?" Ran asked, looking a little dubious.

"I know so! Come on, Ran, aren't I usually right about these things? No sense worrying over that deduction geek when he'll open up eventually, wouldn't you say?" Sonoko nodded, as if the matter was settled.

The brunette sighed, smiling hesitantly. "I guess you're right, I just wish he wouldn't be so kept to himself about this stuff."

"Exactly! Boys can be so stupid about these things. Ahh, you're still that way that makes me miss Makoto. Come on, lets go buy some cute clothes to show off while we find you a boyfriend!" The other insisted, grabbing her friend by the arm and towing her away with a smile, ignoring her friend's indignant squawk of "Sonoko!" and the flush going clear down her neck.

Kaito hummed to himself as he watched the girl get dragged off. Now that had been an interesting exchange. Kudou certainly seemed like someone who couldn't stand to be put out of action, a sentiment the magician could relate to. Unlike Miss Mouri, Kaito was less far inclined to believe her friend's "girlfriend" theory. He'd had plenty of experience with detectives and none of them seem particularly capable in that department. And, if he was being honest, he'd been a bit concerned about the detective for a while. He'd noticed a slight discoloration around his eyes, like he'd used foundation to cover the area but the color wasn't for his skin tone. Kaito suspected he wasn't sleeping much. Then again, he could figure that much out even without the dark circles he didn't doubt the make up hid.

This, the magician decided, warranted a house call.

(He still maintained, even while having one of his doves seek out the best window to spy on the detective through and finding a place he wouldn't easily be spotted from, that he wasn't stalking Kudou. KID needed his challengers is all, they make the heists so much more fun.)

What he saw once he was in position was definitely not anything he would have expected.

Shinichi leaned over one of his kitchen's counters, and he seemed to tremble. Each breath he took was large, and visible, even from the behind angle Kaito had of him. For a moment the thief forgot his honed method of watching the other without being noticed, causing the detective to whirl towards the window with an expression of absolute fear. KID only just managed to not jump, and somehow escaped detection from the other's harsh scrutiny of the scenery as Kudou slumped back down. Kaito noted absently that he had been right about the make up: if he didn't know better he might've thought that the other male had gotten into a fight.

Kudou's slightly hysterical laugh broke through that train of thought though. He shook his head and smoothed a hand over his hair, breathing those large, careful breaths again. Suddenly, they seemed like they were protecting him from something, and KID felt like he'd drawn himself into some else's whirlpool of troubles. He shouldn't be here, really, but he couldn't just walk away at this point. Something, he knew, was very wrong, and he had a dawning suspicion he knew some of what was going on. It explained a lot.

When the detective calmed down, he began to straighten once more, his gaze flicking helplessly towards something on a wall Kaito himself couldn't see from his angle. Like a man walking the gallows, Kudou went to whatever it was. A cabinet, Kaito guessed, going by how he had returned with several bottles in his arms, and laid them out in a row in front of the seat at the end of the table. He went to a different one and pulled out a large beer mug and set it between them and the chair before sitting down himself. The angle was just so that the thief could see the other's face from his perch.

Shinichi glared at the line of bottles in front of him for a long moment, his body language screaming defiance. The look was similar to the anger that flashed across his face when he encountered another murder, the hatred he clearly had for the act of stealing life. After some time though, he was visibly deflated. KID hadn't seen when it happened, it had crept in so slowly and escaped his notice, but when the detective reached for the first bottle in the row, it was clearly a defeat.

Some bottles he poured in more of than others with measured understanding, and he hesitated each time he reached to grab for the next one down the line. When his glass was half filled with the others, he reached for the final bottle. out of all the others, he hesitated the longest on this one. Hand flexing when it grasped it, staring at it a long moment. It was probably twice the size of all the others, and when it was added its contents filled the rest of the glass nearly to the brim.

At about the time Shinichi's hand closed around the handle of the mug, Kaito decided he couldn't handle any more than this. Instead he opted to slip from his hiding place and slide the window open quietly, perching on it casually with one leg in and one out for an easy escape before addressing the detective smoothly. "You know, Meitantei-san. A drink shouldn't warrant the same attitude as when facing a death sentence."

Kaito had been careful with his words, gentling them in hopes of spooking Kudou as little as possible. He seemed to have mostly succeeded, at least in that the detective didn't scream bloody murder or show the same terror he had earlier, though it had flashed on his face for a brief second before he really focused on who his guest was. The magician found he much preferred the dumbfounded shock his rival was sporting now, it was a fitting reaction to an international criminal showing up in the home of someone on the opposite side of the law without warning and acting like he wasn't the slightest bit out of place.

Deciding the detective wasn't likely about to do anything ridiculous like try to catch him right now, he slipped the rest of the way into the room and strolled over to the table, reaching out to grab the closest bottle. Shinichi's gaze followed him, and though he twitched when KID reached out, he made no move to stop his intruder. Kaito accepted that as a go ahead, and began picking up each bottle in turn reading the names off the labels.

"Chianti." The word had Shinichi sucking in a sudden breath, but he remained as he was, staring at the thief like he'd never seen him and also like he wasn't seeing him at all. "Korn, Pisco, Tequila, Calvados, Kasiri, Vermouth, Pulque, Bourbon, Brandy, Irish Whiskey, Vodka..." His voice grew softer with each name he spoke, and he turned his focus back to the detective as he sat down the last bottle, the largest one from earlier. Shinichi's stricken expression, like everything inside was almost broken - was broken but for a spider's thread tying it all together in one piece, caught the last one in KID's throat. One gloved hand reached to the mug, gently prying the trembling one clamped around the handle away from it.

He didn't know what he was doing, really. Didn't know enough to know what was going on. It didn't stop him, regardless. Positioning himself firmly in Shinichi's view - eyes carefully watching the other, the gaze returned to him looking like their focus on him was a battle that could only be kept for so long - Kaito finished, barely speaking above his breath. "... Gin."

With that, the detective collapsed onto the thief. He trembled harder then before, fell back onto the controlled breathing patterns. Kaito felt more than heard every hitch when the other failed to keep them steady. Despite his uncertainty, he carefully positioned a hand on Kudou's shoulder, squeezing it gently in what he hoped was a comforting manner. Shinichi wasn't crying, not even close, but the sheer panic that overtook him now was a release in it's own way. The accumulation of everything that happened, that must have happened, finally showing through. He didn't know how to feat about being the one that the detective finally showed this too, though maybe anyone could have triggered it had they really tried to pry into the detective. But then no, only someone Shinichi trusted could've broken in this far. Shinichi never fell when forced by someone he didn't let get to him first.

KID still didn't understand, but he knew. He'd signed himself up for something he can't abandon now. The moment he chose to interfere instead of leave he put himself in this position. This was something beyond their rivalry, and how it would change the game he didn't know. What it did didn't matter though now, because it was done, and what mattered was he didn't stop. Kaito squeezed his hand a little tighter, and as he waited for the detective to calm down, he planned. Kaito had always been good at improvisation, but it would help if he didn't risk messing this up. It wouldn't be worth it if it ruined someone else in the process.

And even if they hardly knew each other, Shinichi deserved better than that.

**Author's Note:**

> Open to concrit and if I made any mistakes then please please tell me. At least half of this was written between midnight and four AM and how well my writing is then is a bit dubious.
> 
> I probably won't write more of this?? It wasn't even supposed to be this long I was originally just writing what was supposed to be a tiny blurb to a friend in chat.
> 
> I have other fics in the works for the same pairing eventually if you're interested when those come along.
> 
> Uh, lesse, I added some random alcohols I thought could be used as codenames. There's a whole bunch of symbolism in the alcohol thing both positive and negative.
> 
> I think that's about it. Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> **EDIT:** Okay, nevermind, apparently I **am** writing more of this. I am a weak willed person given to the fancies of the tales from my pen.


End file.
